Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Observation
The second phase of preparation was observation. With two months remaining before the Genin exams, followed by team assignments, Kakashi had plenty of time to study his prospective students. It was expected that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura would graduate, so he focused on understanding their dynamics and personalities before putting them through the bell test.
Naruto was easy to track. He was always surrounded by friends—a lively group that included Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and the heirs of the Nara and Akimichi clans. The kids seemed to have grown even closer over the last year, likely due to the sudden, sporadic expansion of their respective clans. It was a strange phenomenon, likely tied to the fallout from Danzo's ROOT experiments.
The group’s activities were lighthearted. Card games, sparring matches, and boisterous chatter filled their afternoons. Sasuke often joined them, though his demeanor remained aloof, as if he were observing from the periphery even when in the center of the group. Occasionally, Naruto and Sasuke would butt heads, their rivalry simmering beneath the surface but never boiling over.
Kakashi watched their interactions with mild amusement. Naruto and Sasuke—polar opposites. This is going to be a challenge.
Sakura, however, was a mystery.
She seemed to have an uncanny ability to sense when she was being watched. No matter how careful Kakashi was, she would pause mid-action, her green eyes scanning her surroundings with sharp focus. At first, he thought it was coincidence, but after a week, he was sure.
How does she know?
Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura’s social circle was smaller. She spent most of her time with Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, or Tenten Shiranui, the latter being a student of his old rival, Gai. Kakashi had met Tenten before and was aware of her history.
Tenten, like many others, had been a victim of Danzo's machinations. Injected with Shiranui clan DNA, she had narrowly avoided being fully inducted into ROOT. The day she was to be branded as a ROOT operative, Danzo had been assassinated, sparing her the brainwashing that turned children into emotionless tools. Despite her past, Tenten carried herself with resilience and optimism, traits that seemed to strengthen her bond with Sakura.
From their conversations, Kakashi pieced together that Sakura and Tenten had shared time in the orphanage. They seemed to understand each other in a way few others could.
But there was something else about Sakura that gnawed at Kakashi’s thoughts.
While she spent part of her day working diligently at the hospital, honing her medical ninjutsu, there were hours when she vanished entirely. He couldn’t track her, no matter how hard he tried. It was as though she disappeared into thin air.
Where does she go? What is she hiding?
As the weeks passed, Kakashi felt his frustration grow. He could easily read Naruto and Sasuke—Naruto’s boundless energy, deep-seated loneliness, and unwavering determination to be acknowledged; Sasuke’s quiet arrogance, his drive for perfection, and the lingering shadows of loss. But Sakura remained an enigma.
Despite her seemingly ordinary profile and bubbly demeanor, there were layers to her that Kakashi couldn’t unravel. The traps in her room, her mastery of poisons, the bloody bandages—everything pointed to someone who lived in a constant state of vigilance.
She reminds me of myself, Kakashi realized one evening as he sat in his study. Someone hiding behind a mask, trying to keep the world at bay.
Two months passed quickly.
News came that all three students had passed their exams. Kakashi had gathered a clear picture of Naruto and Sasuke—their personalities, their goals, their ideals. He knew how to challenge them, how to push them, and how to guide them toward becoming true shinobi.
But Sakura...
Sakura was a puzzle he was determined to solve.
As he prepared for their first meeting, one thought lingered in his mind:
I will save her.